Real Life Horror: Girl Describes Progress Of Her Own Suicide On Facebook

It would seem that our lives are more and more public as we all join social networks. Many are so addicted to sites such as Facebook, Twitter, etc… that they are now keeping friends and fans updated on everything. I know people who live on their select social network to the effect of the real world transforming into the virtual one.

I was very saddened this week when I read about a guy who was running from the law. What’s the big deal here you say? He was actually stopping every so often to update his status and chat with friends on Facebook. Some of these friends were cheering him on and offering advice and/or warnings. Do they not realize that they could easily be charged with aiding a fugitive?

The sad part is that in today’s pop culture, this is par for the course and nothing is too extreme anymore as long as it can be shared with millions of people and get tagged with a “like”.

As I said, I was saddened by the flippant attitude toward the fugitive, that is until today when I happened across the following:

Taiwanese Woman Commits Suicide While Chatting on Facebook

What would you do when you find out the Facebook friend you are chatting with is trying to kill herself?

Most people would call the police for help in stopping the suicide, but the Facebook friends of Claire Lin instead, tried to talk her down.

In the end, they failed as she asphyxiated herself.

Even more bizarrely, the Taiwanese woman was posting updates about the situation and what she was experiencing as she was doing herself in.

One of the chilling photos uploaded by Lin showed her room filled with smoke from a charcoal barbeque burning next to two stuffed animals.

The terrifying event lasted more than an hour, with Lin continually chatting with friends and posting updates about her ongoing asphyxiation.

Her last sad entry read, “Too late. My room is filled with smoke. I just posted another picture. Even while I’m dying, I still want FB (Facebook). Must be FB poison. Haha.”

Apparently, Lin was in unhappy with her boyfriend for ignoring her and not coming home to be with her on her birthday.

I bet the boyfriend was filled with remorse when he found her body the following day and had to explain the situation to her family.

As we sit in movie theaters and hope to be frightened by the latest horror flick it is considered entertaining because, after all, it’s fictional. Now imagine being able to interact with the characters on the movie screen.

When the lines of fiction and reality are crossed and those who are looking on become so desensitized by the media and the interwebs, the gravity of a situation can elude them.

Of all the people who looked on as Claire Lin slowly killed herself, not one of them even considered picking up a phone and dialing 911. Is it because they were sadistic, or wanted to see how it all played out? Maybe a little, but I think moreover they felt empowered by their ability to speak directly to her as she expired. In that state of mind, everyone becomes a qualified therapist. There’s also the “cool” aspect of something so extreme happening right before their eyes that they themselves are a part of. In my opinion this feeling can easily cloud judgment.

I’d be willing to bet my last dollar that Claire Lin was begging for help no matter what she was saying. She was committing suicide on a social network hoping that maybe her boyfriend would see it and somehow have a change of heart. At the very least, she was crying out for attention and needing someone to step in and stop her. Maybe she was trying to bluff through it and it ended up backfiring. In any case, Claire Lin needed help, real help that can only come from a 911 call.

I’m not even going to get into the psychology behind someone killing themselves with reasoning such as hers, as that’s another disturbing commentary of a world gone wrong.

What I will do is ask the question; is this what we are? Is this an example of what we can expect in the future? Will our culture become so voyeuristic, so interactive, that our traumas will be played out for all to see and take part in? Will even the last refuges of common sense be shocked out of us a little at a time?

Where does it stop? We now have a dead girl who had her whole life ahead of her. What would you be thinking right now if you had been one of those who was tuned in to her suicide? Would you feel a sense of responsibility?….No? My point exactly……

I grew up in rural NWPA, surrounded in forest. I took an early interest in cryprozoology and sharks and have read many books on various crypto subjects such as Bigfoot and Megalodon over the years.
I am not a professional writer or a journalist, but I do the best I can. I have a quirky, obscurely dry and sometimes sarcastic sense of humor than can get me in trouble. Some love me and some hate me, but I am who I am.

I understand it can press a button but also please… try to understand that for some people (and I really don’t generalise here and in many ways can agree with what you say) there’s just nothing else on their mind.
I think the boyfriend reason is probably not the whole thing, I’m still gobsmacked no one called the police or something.
Life is a great thing, if (like me) you can come out of that feeling the right side then you have definitely got a better gift for it. I was lucky, now I love to live every moment I can with a new experience, sometimes it isn’t all love and happiness but I try to focus on getting back to it.
And I REALLY hope that made sense… and apologise if it doesn’t. ^^

Lindsay

very happy for you 🙂

Valkyrie13

Lindsay, you have a zest for life that is infectious and I think all the GTers have enjoyed and benefited greatly from it 🙂 Yeah, taking one’s life because of a romantic crises is utterly tragic, unnecessary, and preventable. Moving or doing something new helps so much.

AaronD2012

Suicide is, in fact, murder. The only difference is the perpetrator never stands trial.

The Oshmar

But then again they don’t make you stand trial for attempted suicide, like they do for attempted murder.

AaronD2012

Good point–Just another querk in the system……maybe they should 🙂

Archard

it used to be a crime here in England, Suicide was considered “self-murder”
Another useless fact brought to you by Archard 😉

AaronD2012

Ahh…not “useless” ! I actually appreciate that post. I think our laws should include legal consequences for suicide attempts, and some kind of “Hall of Shame” character label for those who succeed. As it stands, it’s seen by many as the ultimate pity cause. We all have problems, we all experience depression at one level or another, but God gave us our life so we should appreciate it. When someone ends their life, they are only thinking of their needs and not the many loved ones who will suffer in the wake of their selfish actions.